Silpher's Pack
by AlexFili
Summary: Silpher is born a half-Slig, half-Scrab hybrid. Along with twelve others, he must escape the place he once called home and learn how to hunt in the wilderness. He wishes to express his feelings to Tulia, a female hybrid. The First of the Pack series.


Silpher's Pack

Chapter 1: The Youth

I open my eyes. They sting as the harsh artificial lighting temporarily blinds me. I squint and see a shadowy figure above me. A hand with thin fingers stretches out, I move away, squirming.

"Now now little one, let's see how you are", a creature said. I try to speak, but mumbling noises come out. Well, to be honest, I wasn't surprised at this. This is my first day of life after all.

A week later, I was allowed to be given a name. I decided to call myself Silpher. Over the next year, I learned about how I was created and discovered some important lessons of life and survival.

Part Scrab, part Slig... Whoever created me must have a purpose for me, but I didn't find out that day, or any other day. I guess it's just a mystery to me so far. Maybe when we are older, we will be told our purpose.

I don't look like a Scrab at all. My upper body resembles a Slig, but with more muscles. My body was a crimson color. I have four face tentacles, which I can grab objects with if I have to, a neck which can twist and flex, two compound eyes, hidden beneath a leathery mask. My lower body is just a thin torso which tapers off into a tail.

My behavior is a mixture of Slig and Scrab. I have all of the intelligence and cleverness of a Slig, but my smell and hearing are above average. I have a craving for meat, which I need to satisfy at least once a week or I will feel some stomach pains and withdrawal symptoms.

After a few months of life, I was given the opportunity to socialize with others of my kind. There were about thirteen of us. I've only seen a couple so far, but I think that about half of us are female, judging from their smaller size and kinder attitude.

I have three good friends at the moment, there's Magnus... I'd say he's my best friend in this place. He is brave, kind... I'm sure he's one of the strongest of us as well. I bet he could win in a fight if he had to. He is taller than me and has an orange skin color.

There's Tulia, she's probably the nicest of the females. She often cheers me up when I am depressed and she is very good at sharing. We're still young so a lot of the talking is quite innocent. We did kiss once, but it was just for a dare, we both ran away fast squealing and laughing. She is shorter than me and is a lighter shade of red.

Finally, there's Lorn. He is wise and compassionate. He knows what to do in any given situation. I look up to him the most. He's like a father figure to me... He is good at dispensing advice, I always listen to him. Lorn is one of the tallest of us. He is a dark grey in color.

A couple of years later. I train my body and mind. We all grow to about three feet tall (not including pants).

I make my way to the facilities in the rest area. I think I'll see if Tulia is in the Jacuzzi again. I spot a fellow female, Inna. "Hey handsome, you looking for Tulia again?", she was being overly flirtatious today. I blushed, "Inna you're not wearing, a... bra", "I know, I feel much more comfortable without one". I gulped, her light-blue body was quite alluring, the light reflecting from her chest, she smiled, "Oh come on, it's not like you haven't seen anything new". I suppose this was true, each male did have a bath with every female at least once.

I rolled my eyes, "Well can you tell me where Tulia is?". She grinned, "She's in the Jacuzzi, I respect your dedication to her, she must be quite the lucky lady". I smiled, "Yeah she is. I admire your rebellious attitude by the way; I think that you're probably the Alpha female". She seemed shocked, "Really? I didn't think that I was that good! Oh well, see you later", she gave me a friendly kiss on the cheek and then left.

Flattery will get you everywhere.

Chapter 2: Warm Feelings

Silpher approached Tulia. His body appearing as a crimson hue among the light smoke filling the Jacuzzi room. Tulia was soaking her tentacles when she saw him. "Oh Silpher! I'm over here!". She waved at me. I smiled and made my way to the Jacuzzi. I grabbed a towel and left my pants in a nearby storage locker.

Unlike Inna, she was wearing a bra (thankfully). I feel more at ease knowing that she has her own privacy which I respect, It also means that I get a build up of anticipation... I do like surprises.

Tulia was a typical cheerful young female. She often joked and played with me when I was bored. I guess I do spend a bit of time with her, she is probably my favorite of the girls. Inna is also kind, but her flirtation drives me to madness sometimes. I still feel like I'm too young to be thinking about that kind of thing!

The three other females, Lara, Riley and Bitsy usually hang out with the other guys. None of them were attached to any other of us, in a relationship of any kind. That said, Lorn seems to have taken a liking to Lara. Lara is pretty; her skin is a light purple with long eyelashes. Riley is quite talkative and optimistic, she was a light green color. Bitsy was caring, and she didn't like meat as much as the rest of us. She's a light yellow color.

We had all taken an accuracy test today with our pistols and rifles. "How did you testing go?", I asked. Tulia's expression turned into that of remembering something. "Well, I got about 83% on pistol and 65% on rifles... what about you?". Silpher smiled, "I got 85% on pistol and 79% on rifles. Seems everyone prefers using the pistols don't they?". Tulia nodded.

The only people who scored less with the rifles than pistols are Lorn and Karn. Lorn preferred using the rifle as the sight on the gun improved his aim, the pistol was lighter and tended to recoil more and provide less stability. He actually got the lowest mark in the pistol training, 48% compared to 83% on his rifle. Karn only got 29% on pistols and 34% on rifles. He preferred using physical contact rather than shooting with any kind of weapon.

His aim was frequently off-target, and he managed to miss a lot of the targets and took a long time to de-activate the Greeter.

Although we got training, we had never needed to use a weapon because the security in this area was well maintained. We often communicate with the guard Sligs on a regular basis. We both have a mutual respect for another, unlike the Glukkons, who only respect Moolah. We often got called upon by Vykkers as well for diagnostics and mental activities.

Tulia smiled again, "Inna got the highest marks of the females, you know?". I was a bit shocked at this, "No, what did she get?". "She got 86% on pistols and 81% on rifles!", even as Tulia said this, I still could hardly believe it. Not only was she good with both pistols and rifles, she actually scored higher than most of the males! "Wow, I can't believe she never told me!". Tulia laughed, "Well, girls like to keep secrets. I'm sure you have a couple of things to hide as well".

She swam over to me, a gleeful glint in her eye. "Yipes, um...". I nervously pinched my face tentacle, wondering what was going to happen next. "Haha, just kidding! Your look was really priceless", she giggled and swam back to her side. My body became relaxed, I enjoyed the warmth of the Jacuzzi and the serenity of the scene, the bubbles were massaging my back and the steam was giving nourishment to my body.

Silpher looked at Tulia. "What do you think of this place?". Tulia looked towards him, "I actually like it here, we get what we need whenever we want it... we never have to work or anything". Silpher hung his head, "But don't you think it makes life a bit too easy? I didn't expect a struggle, but I crave a more active kind of lifestyle". Tulia looked surprised, "Really? Well I guess we could all do with a bit more exercise now and then, especially Karn!". We laughed.

Tulia was someone special to me. I knew that no matter what would happen in the future, I would protect her.

It was during that year, something happened that would change our current lifestyles forever. We would be tested beyond our own imaginations and our own trials of life would begin.

Only one thing is certain from this point onwards;

Our lives are on the line.

Chapter 3: The Vote

"A meeting?". Silpher raised an eyebrow. Lorn's expression was also skeptical. "I know, they haven't called a meeting for months. This must be something important".

Every single hybrid was at the meeting. Inna and Tulia had looks of concern on their faces. The test of the hybrids were also pacing nervously.

Karn was flexing his muscles. Ulric watched him, wondering exactly what it is the Vykkers had in store for them.

A Vykker entered the room. "Nice to see you're all here, let's get started". He moved around the room, handing around books and leaflets. Silpher reached out for his copy. The book was called "Survival Handbook", the authors name was Potney, his cheesy Vykker grin was present on the cover of the book.

"Can I ask something?", Ulric walked forward and raised his hand. "Why do we need this?". The Vykker smiled. "The time has come for you to learn about the wilderness outside of this facility". Lorn was shocked, "You mean, you're setting us free?".

The Vykker laughed, "My dear Lorn, you have not been held captive here at all, you could have left anytime you wanted!". The hybrids looked at each other nervously.

"My name's Braxley by the way". He walked towards the whiteboard. "Now you have all reached the age at which you have learned of the majority of Slig traits… but now you must read about your Scrab traits". Silpher looked at a leaflet next to the book, "Meat Feasts 101: What to eat and what not to eat".

"As you already know, you have a craving for meat, this is part of your Scrab genetics. There are other behavior traits that you probably haven't read about before". Braxley motioned towards the whiteboard, writing some more words onto it. "Hunting, Healthcare, Mechanical Maintenance, Natural Creatures, Mating…".

There were a few chuckles in the crowd, Dogol blushed, "You mean, it's possible for us to…", "Yes yes, you are able to do that", Braxley sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have written that one down. Anyway, basically over the next few months you'll be learning all of this from both the books and from the Vykkers".

Riley was whispering to Bitsy excitedly. Lorn stood up to the stage where Braxley was and started to speak. "I've been looking over the first few chapters, we have to look into things such as Pack Mentality and Pack Status. We should elect leaders and train our bodies in preparation for hunting".

Braxley nodded and smiled. "I see you are already starting to organize yourselves, this is very good indeed. I'm sure you can discuss this amongst yourselves. I'll take my leave, if you need me don't hesitate to call". Braxley started to walk away and then stopped, "However, from now on we'll be feeding you less and less, in order to get you prepared for life outside of this facility". Braxley closed the door on his way out.

Lara walked up to the podium. "Okay, so we have to discuss a lot of things, first of all…", she flicked the book over to page 7, "We should sort out who will be the Alpha". Bitsy turned her head to the side, "Alpha?". Inna nodded, "I heard Silpher mention it, it symbolizes a leadership role, right?". Silpher nodded, "There are Alphas which act as leaders, Betas that act as second in command…", the hybrids were eagerly discussing which positions they would be in.

Ulric stood up, smirking. "Are we going to base this on our test results? Because if we are that would mean that I am the alpha". Lorn frowned, "That isn't the only basis for leadership, we have to look at which of us will be able to keep cool in a situation".

Bron sighed, "Shall we vote on it then?". The other hybrids nodded their heads. "Let's start with the males first", Inna suggested. They each took a piece of paper and wrote a name on it. They put the names into a box. The box was then opened and the results were counted.

Chapter 4: The Leaders

Magnus reached into the box. "Ulric got 5 votes, Lorn got 2 votes, Silpher got 3 votes, Karn got 2 votes and there's one for me as well", Magnus took his hand out of the box. The males whooped and cheered for Ulric. "Okay", Magnus proceeded, "Ulric is voted in as Alpha, Silpher, you'll be second in command". Silpher nodded.

Now they voted for a female leader. Each of them wrote a new name on a piece of paper. Once again they picked the names out of the box.

"Let's see here…", Dogol started digging around in the box, "Inna has 4 votes, Tulia has 4 votes, 2 for Lara, 1 for Bitsy". The girls cheered. Inna said, "Oh, but we have a tie". Inna looked worriedly at Tulia, but she was smiling. "It's alright, I'll step down and be second in command", Inna gave her a hug, "Thanks". Tulia knew this was what Inna wanted all along. Tulia looked at Silpher, a smile in his eyes. If they were both second in command, they would be spending a lot more time together.

Lorn nodded, "I think that's everything for now. Let's get back to our rooms and read all of this". Everyone nodded. Karn reluctantly agreed.

= 2 months later =

It was time for hunting to begin. The Vykkers managed to get Elums and Paramites for the hybrids to practice on. Although the Vykkers mentioned Scrabs a few times, Ulric and the hybrids decided that it would be too dangerous. Bitsy was also worried that if they attacked the Scrabs, it would feel like attacking family, since they are half-Scrab after all. Braxley agreed, but warned them that they could not always choose whether or not to hunt a particular animal. They might have to resort to Scrab meat if nothing else was available.

Bitsy started reading a lot more than she usually did. However she was not interested in hunting or meat recipes, she looked at the herbal leaflets to find out which mushrooms were safe to eat. Bitsy would rather eat food that didn't run away from her or left you messy afterwards.

Silpher and Tulia were spending some time reading to each other. Tulia could hardly believe that they would be spending more time together over the next few months. Tulia knew that Silpher would make a great leader, regardless of how high his status was. Tulia felt a longing to be near Silpher even more than ever, but Silpher still viewed her as a friend. Lorn walked into the room, "Hey Silpher, Tulia, I see you're reading". Silpher smiled, "Yeah we are, care to join us?". Lorn sat down, "So, you think you can cope as the Betas?". Tulia smiled, "I'm sure we can deal with the pressure", Lorn chuckled, "That's good to know".

A few minutes passed, "Lorn, can I talk to you for a minute?", Silpher moved towards Lorn. "Sure". Lorn and Silpher walked to the next room. "Listen, I need to ask, what do you think about this whole 'mating' thing?". Lorn smiled, "Well, it's up to you. None of us are in any rush to have kids right? We can always play it safe can't we?". Silpher agreed, "We're not in any rush… Thanks for the advice". Lorn put his hand on Silpher's shoulder and motioned to the next room.

Lorn stayed for a while and talked with Silpher and Tulia. Silpher was glad to see that Tulia got on well with Lorn. As Lorn was the oldest hybrid, he was able to give advice like no one else could. After giving some more tips, Lorn left.

Silpher smiled, "That guy knows what he's talking about". Silpher walked up to Tulia. "I asked him, he says we should keep it friendly for now". Tulia smiled, "Oh, well that's alright with me. There's no rush, I'm only halfway through that chapter anyway". She held his hand for a moment, kissed him on the cheek and then walked to her bedroom. Silpher felt a rush of adrenaline in his chest. "Tulia, you're gorgeous", he thought to himself.

Chapter 5: Hunting Practice

Their first day of hunting. Silpher was excited. Ulric and Lorn were ready to prove how strong they were. Although the hybrids had a few sparring matches in the past, they were all quite evenly matched before. However as they were entering maturity, they started becoming more specialized. Karn was great at close combat, wheras Lorn was more of the tactical type. He'd look at an opponent, spotting their weaknesses. Ulric was probably the strongest overall, he has both muscles and brains. Inna was just as vicious as some of the men. In fact she managed to beat Ulric once, I think we were all surprised at that!

Lorn sighed, "Come on Silpher, keep your head high". I was lagging behind, "On my way". I caught up to Lorn, a herd of Elum were running out of the feeding huts and towards the safety enclosure. We scrambled about for a few seconds, trying to get closer to the Elum. Once we were in range, I jumped at the nearest one. I silenced it. Lorn smiled, "Ah, I see your hunting skills are actually quite good". I looked up at him, "It's thanks to your help really". Lorn laughed, "Modest one aren't we?", he patted my head affectionately. "Gerrof!", I moaned and walked backwards. Riley smiled, "You two make quite a pair".

Karn was finding hunting a lot more tricky than he thought it would be. Ulric was getting impatient, "Listen, you're supposed to wait until the right time to start running... not randomly at any given time". Karn shifted his head to the side. "Um, they keep trying to run away from me". Ulric rolled his eyes, "Yes, that's why they are called prey. WE have to chase THEM". Karn was still confused. Ulric was getting impatient, "Just go and get one already". Karn nodded and ran after the herd. Ulric sighed, "Man that guy is such a liability, hope his muscles make up for his lack of brainpower".

Bitsy wasn't hunting. She went to the feeding enclosure and picked up some honey that the Elums left behind. She smiled and started walking away. Inna scowled, "Isn't that cheating?". Bitsy turned around and smiled, "Nope. It's just common sense. Why bother running for food when you can just get something that doesn't run away? Besides, I hate meat anyway". Inna looked shocked, "Really? Not even Paramite meat?". Bitsy shook her head. "I just don't like it, my meat cravings have stopped as well. I think it's after realising what we were eating". Inna held her hand, "Alright then, i'll let you off. Let me have a taste of it". Inna took some of Bitsy's honey, who jumped back in shock "Who's cheating now eh?". Inna smiled and chased after Bitsy.

Magnus and Dogol were running after some Elums that got seperated from the herd. Dogol was watching Magnus run. For a split second, he had to do a double-take. He was sure that Magnus seemed to be like he was on fire. "What the heck am I thinking?", Dogol looked again, there were no flames in sight at all. "Must be a trick of the light", he thought. Magnus had caught an Elum and was eating it, "Tasty this one". For some reason the Elum was slightly warm, as if it had been in the sun for too long. Magnus thought it was odd, but didn't bother to say anything.

Lara, Riley, Bron, Hemm and Tulia all caught their own food and ate it. It was quite empowering knowing that you were in full control of your life. They knew that from now on, most of their meals wouldn't be provided for by the Vykkers.

Braxley was very surprised at how quickly the hybrids all learned how to hunt. "Unbelievable", he looked at the results of this little test. "Bitsy even got some honey, very resourceful". He scribbled a note on a piece of paper and then left the viewing area.

Silpher was giving Tulia a massage. Her shoulder was sore where she accidently banged it into the wall during the Elum hunt. Tulia scowled, "Drat, this hurts". Silpher nuzzled her affectionately. "I know, You'll be alright tomorrow". Tulia sighed, letting Silpher continue with the massage.

Lorn looked over to where the hybrids were, looking at Silpher. "He'll be a great leader". Lorn sighed and went to his room.

Chapter 6: The Last Week

Finally the hybrids had learned all of the techniques in the books and manuals.

Hunting came fairly naturally, their superior bodies leading to a much higher success rate than other species of a similar kind. The Alpha males were more than capable enough to feed all of the other packmates, should anything happen.

It took a while for the hybrids to start thinking about healthcare and mechanical maintenance, but the mechanical pants made it much easier to chase after things. They learned how they could make temporary solutions from spare parts in case they couldn't get their own pants repaired somewhere nearby.

Bitsy was great at learning all of the natural creatures, I guess you might call her a pacifist. She was more into the diplomatic side of things, getting to know other hybrids well and knowing what makes them tick.

When it came to mating, all of the males were too shy to try anything. They would rather not try anything with all the Vykkers around anyway. It was up to them what happened next. Silpher and Tulia were most definitely a couple. Lorn and Lara spoke a few times, but they aren't anywhere near as close.

Inna was getting quite close to Ulric. They often hunted together and would hang around with each other a lot. They took a leaf out of Silpher's book and started massaging each other if they got hurt too much. Ulric smiled, "I bet Silpher picked that up out of that darned Vykker book anyhow".

Riley talked to the girls most of all, but she had her eye on Bron. Bron was kind of mysterious, he didn't talk much due to his shyness. Riley couldn't stop talking, some of the hybrids called her 'motor-mouth' as a joke.

Although Bitsy didn't hunt that often, she seemed to spend some time with Dogol. Dogol wasn't a brilliant hunter, in fact, it was probably because he was such a bad hunter that she spend most of her time with him. She often came over with a smirk and a hand full of honey. Dogol was happy to share with Bitsy. "I don't know what's sweeter…", he thought to himself, "Bitsy, or the honey".

A few more days passed. The hybrids were all sleeping soundly in bed. Suddenly a massive explosion was heard, alarm sirens going off. All of the hybrids woke up from their beds at once.

They all headed for the lounge, a hub that connected all of the rooms. Ulric shouted over the alarm, "What the smeg is going on?". Lorn shook his head, "Could be anything, Let's get out of here… Everyone stay with your hunting pals". Everyone rushed to the emergency exit, near to the feeding pens. As they turned the corner, suddenly they saw a stampeding Elum herd running right towards them. Bron yelled, "Oh frak, they're headed this way… Everybody run!". The hybrids all ran in the opposite direction.

Ulric and Inna were running in front of all the others, suddenly a few Elum came from around the corner. It was too late for Ulric and Inna to change direction, hit in the chest full force by the sheer weight of the adult Elums. They fell to the floor, injured. Karn and Hemm walked up and subdued the Elums before they could run into anyone else.

Silpher yelled, "Ulric, are you alright?". Ulric nodded, but was clutching his arm, "We gotta get out of here right this minute". Lorn lead the hybrids out of the sector to the emergency exit. Lorn pulled on the emergency exit door handle, it opened. They all rushed out into the open air.

Ulric and Inna slumped on the ground in front of them. Lorn held Ulric's hand, "Come on, we gotta get out of here quick". Tulia and Lara helped Inna get up, and they headed for the nearby forest.

Silpher took a final look back at his former home, it was completely in flames now. He took out his emergency pager that the Vykker had given him. He wrote the following in a message;

"This is Silpher, we have escaped from the factory. Thank you for the help. Bye."

Now their skills would be put to the ultimate test.

Chapter 7: Road to Recovery

The hybrids kept walking until their bodies showed signs of tiredness. They set up camp in a valley near a forest. Ulric and Inna were still tending to their injuries. Ulric stood up and moved to Silpher. "Listen, I'm not fit enough to lead the group for now. Can you help me out for a while?". Silpher smiled, "Of course, I am second in command, I'll lead us".

Ulric smiled, "Cheers mate. I'll go rest my shoulder for a while". Silpher watched as Ulric limped towards the shelter.

Silpher stepped up to where the other hybrids were and tapped a stick against a rock. Everyone stopped talking and walked closer. "Alright everyone, we've made it out of the factory... Ulric said I could take charge so we're going to talk about a few things". Silpher started by confirming everyone's names and personality traits. He looked at one of the girls, "Bitsy, am I right in saying you don't like meat?". Bitsy nodded, Silpher continued, "In that case, we need to find alternatives to meat in our diet. Plants and mushrooms might be enough". Bitsy smiled, "I read up on some of the leaflets, I think I will be able to find a lot of things". Silpher smiled back, "That'll be useful, it would be great if you could teach us that sometime soon... In fact we should each teach each other one thing". The hybrids all nodded and agreed. Inna raised her hand, "I agree, but we should wait for Ulric before we re-continue our education". Silpher looked at her, "Yeah you're right. Okay everyone, let's have a rest for a while and continue tomorrow".

The sun was shining through the shelter's openings. Silpher walked up to see Lorn outside. "Haven't you slept well?". Lorn shook his head, "It's alright... I've only been awake for an hour or so. I wanted to make sure nothing was watching us".

Silpher adjusted his electronic pants, "That's admirable, but make sure you get enough rest". Lorn smiled, "Don't worry, I'll probably fall asleep if Karn is giving me a lecture". Silpher laughed.

Every hybrid was awake now, Ulric and Inna walked up to Silpher. Inna looked towards the rest of the hybrids, "Are we ready to begin?". The hybrids nodded. Magnus stood up, "Who's going to start?". The hybrids looked at each other nervously.

Chapter 8: Improving Relationships

Tulia raised her hand. "If I could, I'd like to talk about relationships". Silpher was shocked to hear her voice from his side. "Tulia...", Tulia smiled. The other hybrids agreed and sat on the ground.

Tulia went on to talk about her feelings and how the group could benefit from being more open with their feelings and thoughts. They agreed and took in turns to talk about themselves.

Karn admitted that he sometimes had a feeling of great anger in his heart, along with the frustration of being unable to use weapons effectively. Bron told everyone that he felt that he lacked confidence, and so would be submissive in order to avoid leadership situations.

Riley walked up to the center and told everyone that her talkativeness often made her feel quite seperate from the rest of the group, despite being someone who manages to say a lot.

Hemm now took her place. He felt that his cockiness often made him the butt of jokes, and made him feel isolated from everyone. Inna admitted that her flirtatious nature was due to her desiring affection from others.

Tulia nodded, "I think it's natural for us to need each other's company... and even more natural for us to have desires for each other". Lara put her hands on Lorn's shoulders, closing her large eyes, revealing the long eyelashes she was proud of. Lorn nodded in appreciation and looked towards Inna.

Chapter 9: Lessons of Leadership

Lorn stepped up to the center now. "Alright then, let's move on to the next lesson shall we? Who wants to take over?".

Karn raised his hand. "Um, I know I'm not like, great with weapons... So I'll teach ya how to perform close combat more effectively". The hybrids agreed, and then proceeded to spar with each other. Inna and Ulric were careful not to hurt each other.

After this, Bron and Hemm both agreed to do a lecture of talkativeness. Bron outlined why they should talk more, Hemm outlined why they should talk less. Overly both of them were confused, and Lorn agreed to help them get their point across.

Lara walked up to the center of the circle. "Bitsy isn't the only one who knows a lot of about nature. I'll teach you about the different trees and materials, and how we can use them". Thanks to Lara's advice, everyone learned something new about the different types of wood in the area, and how they could improve on building shelters and making spears or other wooden items.

Silpher gave Lara a friendly look and then took her place. "Alright everyone, first of all, can you tell me what Gathskan is?". Hemm raised his hand, "Hmmm, I read about this... It's like an allergy to pollen right?". Silpher nodded, "Yeah, I know I'm affected by it, and a few others might be as well. It's quite normal however to have an allergy to pollen, especially in this time of the year. Anyway, I'll teach you about relying on your nose".

Silpher gave a medium length lecture about how you can detect different animals and materials by using smells. He also pointed out that you can get a different variety of smells depending on where you stand, or how close to the ground you are.

Chapter 10: Hunting Lessons

Lorn bowed to Silpher and then walked up to the stage. "Okay everyone, it's getting close to the middle of the day now. We should try and hunt something before the evening. Meanwhile, I can teach you some tips.

Lorn and the other hybrids walked towards the forest. They spotted some Paramites and then formulated a plan.

Hemm, Bronn and Magnus, the fastest of the Males got the Paramites to chase them.

While most of the Paramites tried to catch the three running hybrids, Magnus, Lara and Riley were sneaking behind the Paramites, ready to close in on them.

As the Paramites came to a clearing, suddenly Silpher gave a loud howl, and the strongest males, Ulric, Lorn, Silpher and Karn all sprung out from the bushes and proceeded to attack the Paramites.

The Paramites realised that they were in trouble, but it was too late to run away now. Inna, Dogol and Tulia ran around behind the Paramites and attacked from another side.

Within a few minutes, the hybrids had got enough food to eat and were carrying some back to the shelter.

Bitsy was looking over everyone to make sure they were alright. Tulia was moaning again. "Darnit, how did I manage to hurt my elbow again?!". Silpher put her hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, you like massages right?". Tulia sighed, but looked greatful, "Thanks".

Silpher and Tulia were spending the night in their shelter. Silpher was massaging Tulia's back. Silpher put his snout up to her face. Tulia could feel the warmth and nudged back.

Chapter 11: Daybreak

Silpher woke up. He quietly left Tulia sleeping in the hut and walked outside. The sun was quite bright, Ulric and Inna were standing nearby holding hands and looking at the forest.

"Mornin' guys", Silpher yawned and moved closer to them. Ulric smiled, "Morning sport, you slept well?". "Yeah, it seems like you two are feeling better". Inna gave a cheeky smile, "You betcha, now we'll be able to boss you about!". Silpher smiled back, "You'll have to catch me first!". He ran away laughing. Inna looked at Ulric, "He's a right joker isn't he?". "Just a bit... Come on, let's get some firewood". Ulric and Inna walked towards the forest.

A few hours later, Tulia raised her arms in a stretch and yawned. She looked around the hut and then left to greet the other hybrids. "Morning Riley!", she walked up to Riley. "Morning Tulia, slept well?", "Yeah, the temperature here is just right isn't it?". Riley nodded, she was mixing up some liquid with a wooden spoon. "Whatcha got there?", "Oh this?", she looked at the liquid, "It's some Paramite soup that I made... Not sure how it tastes yet though... what do you think?". She gave the wooden spoon to Tulia, who took a sip. "Hmmm, It's pretty good, but needs a bit more seasoning". Riley nodded and added some black spices to the pot. "That'll do it". She smiled and continued stirring the soup.

Tulia walked over to Magnus, "Is Silpher around?". "Hmmm, Well I think he went to get some fresh air before, haven't seen him in a while though... We should look for him soon if he doesn't re-appear".

Within a few minutes however, Silpher came back. "Hey Tulia, just thought I'd go and have a little look around... Seems as though there were some Sligs here a few months ago, left a few Brew bottles and spare mechanical parts behind. I'll get Karn to help me carry them back here so we can use them for supplies. Tulia winked, "Have some kind of party in mind eh?", Silpher nuzzled her with his snout, "Actually, I hadn't thought of that... good idea!". He kissed her on the cheek and then went to speak to Karn.

"Hey Karn, can you lend us a hand?". Silpher waved and walked over to him. Karn smiled, "Yeah sure". He walked off with Silpher to where he discovered the spare parts.

Inna was sparring with Ulric. "Is that it?", she teased him. "Oh, you're in for it now". He smiled and began wrestling her to the ground. "Aaaah! I give, I give!". Bitsy and Riley laughed.

Chapter 12: Firestarter

Magnus was walking with Hemm in the woods, looking for a nearby Paramite nest. Suddenly, a howl was heard. Hemm jumped, "What the heck was that?". A Scrab headed over to where they were and howled. Magnus stood his ground, raising his fists in a combat stance. "Frek, we'll have to deal with it". The Scrab started running towards him, when Magnus unleashed a powerful blast of fire from his hands. The Scrab lay on the floor, the body was cooked. Hemm was shocked, "Magnus, how the heck did you do that?!". Magnus smiled and looked at him, "I wish I knew pal... First time I've seen anything like it. Well, let's take it back anyway". Hemm nodded and helped Magnus carry the body back home.

Silpher and Karn were also heading back, carrying the spare Slig equipment and other parts back to the camp. Tulia greeted Silpher, "Welcome back. I see you have plenty of things there". Tulia helped Silpher carry them to the center. Lorn and Ulric smiled, "Ah! Booze!". Inna nudged him, "Hey, don't drink it all at once. We need to save some aside for a special occasion". Dogol nodded, "This is a special occasion, WE FOUND BOOZE!". Riley laughed, pushing Dogol over in a jokey fashion. Dogol pushed her back and they started wrestling playfully.

Magnus arrived with Hemm shortly after. Everyone was curiously looking at the Scrab body. Lorn raised an eyebrow, "Cooked? How did you manage that". Hemm smiled and looked at Lorn, "He's a firestarter". "A firestarter?", Bitsy asked. Hemm shrugged, "Well, not sure about the specifics... but he can use fire!". Magnus held his hand towards some uncooked Paramite meat. Within seconds, the meat was sizzling and a moment later, it was thoroughly cooked inside and out. Ulric was shocked, "Slimy Sligs... How did you find that out?". "I had to use it when a Scrab tried to jump me... I never knew I could do something like that".

Silpher raised a hand, "What if... we all had special abilities? Like, hidden away from us?". Bron looked skeptical, "What like some kind of TV show? Come on, we can't fly or cut peoples heads off can we? I guess it was just an added bonus of all the tests that were performed on some of us". Silpher still felt uneasy, like someone hadn't told them the full story about their abilities.

Everyone got some food and then ate. Magnus seemed to have a greater interest in cooking now, helping Bitsy and Riley to warm up the stove and light the fires. Bitsy looked at him, "You are quite handy aren't you?". Magnus blushed and picked up a piece of meat. Dogol gave Bitsy an annoyed glare, but then continued to eat his food. Ulric was clearly enjoying his meal, "This is some good stuff!". Lara smiled, "Much better than Lab food right?". Tulia agreed, "You got that right. Who needs pills when we have all this?".

Ulric and Inna were in their hut cuddling up to each other. Ulric nudged her slightly, "You alright babe?". Inna smiled, "Yeah, I'm just fine. Let's get some shut-eye". Inna fell asleep quickly after that. Ulric smiled, "As long as I'm with you, love". Ulric rested his head on the floor and slowly drifted to sleep.

Chapter 13: The Feast

A few days had passed. The hybrids were getting quite excited and prepared a little celebration. Silpher, Karn, Ulric and Lorn all walked back carrying some extra food. Tulia, Inna and Lara were all working on the decorations and cleaning up the surrounding area. Bron, Dogol and Hemm were busy getting some firewood. Riley and Tulia were making salads, while Magnus was using his fire ability to cook some more meat.

Overall everyone was looking forward to celebrating their first week of freedom and their success so far. Silpher was taking out some of the Brew boxes that he found earlier. He left about half of them in the packing crates, to save for next time. Lorn was reading the labels of the bottles, "SoulStorm Brew, Berry Extract, Scrab Smasher, McArt, Blue Whine…". Ulric nodded, "We have nearly every brand here, this should be good".

After all the preparations, Ulric stood up and made himself heard over the general chatter of the hybrids. "Well, we've managed to successfully live outside of the laboratory for a whole week. I think we can safely say that we can probably live out here for our entire lives without any problems. I'd like to thank you all for your excellent co-operation and of course there are some people I'd like to congratulate in person". Ulric walked towards one of the hybrids. "Firstly, Lorn… Your guidance is pretty much spot on almost all the time, I'll be darned if you don't stay up half the night as well making sure nothing happens to us". Lorn laughed, "Hey, that's only because I can't get to sleep as easily as you lot". Ulric smiled, heading for another hybrid. "Inna, you've been a great companion to me and I hope our friendship can grow and grow". Inna just blushed and blew him a kiss.

Ulric smirked and then headed for another hybrid. "Silpher, Tulia, you've been excellent as Betas. I thank you two most of all for your co-operation and helpful natures". Silpher smiled, "And I'd like to congratulate Ulric on a job well done. You're the Alpha, man!". Silpher gave him a high-five, raised his Brew bottle and toasted Ulric. Everyone else joined in and drank. Hemm chuckled, "Man, this is some good stuff, I hope we keep a lot for next time!".

The food was brilliant, it seems that Bitsy was having trouble trying to make a better meal than Magnus now, he's really taken an interest in cooking.

Everyone sat and talked for a while, the sun went down and the stars appeared in the sky. The hybrids watched the night sky and marveled at the beautiful sky. A few hours later, everyone was pretty tired and headed back to their huts.

Tulia and Silpher went into their hut. Silpher yawned, "That was a great party wasn't it?". Tulia smiled, "Yeah it was… I enjoyed that Blue Whine quite a bit, although my head might tingle a bit tomorrow". Silpher chuckled, "Mine too… Oh well, good night". Silpher and Tulia went to their separate sides of the hut and slept. Tulia looked very peaceful as she slept.

Chapter 14: The Split

Every hybrid woke up next morning. They each had a mild headache that stayed with them for a few hours after they awoke. Karn and Ulric seemed to be suffering the most. Bitsy and Tulia didn't drink much so they recovered the fastest. Silpher was quite surprised to see Lorn without any visible symptoms of over-drinking. Lorn smiled, "I drank lots of water before I went to sleep, helps balance out the chemicals".

As the hybrids were recovering, Lorn stood up and ushered everyone to come closer. "Listen, I've been thinking… Even though we are surviving out here, what's to say we can survive on our own?". Ulric raised an eyebrow, "What are you suggesting Lorn?". Lorn looked at Ulric, "We need some kind of challenge, to see if we can manage on our own as separate groups".

Silpher raised his hand, "I suggest we break into two groups and see how we can deal with each other's company for a while". Ulric nodded, "I think we should try and mix up the groups as well, so that we get to know the others more". Lorn chuckled, "You're acting like experts already, okay then, let's split ourselves into two halves".

Hemm advised that the females shouldn't stay in the same group as their typical male partners. Ulric, Silpher, Lara, Riley, Bitsy and Hemm formed one team. Lorn, Magnus, Bron, Dogol, Karn, Inna and Tulia formed the other team.

Lorn and Ulric stood next to each other. Lorn proceeded to speak, "Well, we should see if we can survive on our own for a week. We should head in the opposite directions, walk for about a day and then attempt some survival techniques. We should meet up again in a week's time to assess our performance".

Bitsy was a bit nervous, "What about in the case of an emergency?". Dogol put a hand on her shoulder, "If anything happens, we'll just head right back to the starting point".

Lorn called everyone forwards, "Okay then, let's move out. I'm going to head north… Ulric, take your team south". Ulric nodded, "Alright team, let's get going". Silpher walked up to Tulia and placed his snout next to her face. "I'll miss you, take care", Tulia smiled, "You too, Silph".

Ulric's team started walking, it was nightfall before they stopped and had finished setting up camp, the rest of his team went into their newly made shelter.

Meanwhile, Tulia felt a drip on her neck, she looked up. The sky had become cloudy and rain started falling. Lorn shrugged, "We need to find some shelter soon, it's getting dark here". Inna nodded, taking the lead and moving forwards. She spotted a cave up a head, pointing towards it. Tulia sighed, "Hope the other guys are getting along alright". Inna smiled, "You're such a fusspot Tule, come on… let's get inside". Tulia giggled, "Okay then, bet I get there first!". She started walking faster, Inna broke into a run and they started racing. Lorn smiled, "Hey, remember to look in front of you, DON'T TRIP UP!". He yelled the last part, trying to make sure they heard him.

Magnus put his hand on Lorn's shoulder. "They make a good pair, don't they?". Bron walked up to Magnus. "Make sure never to upset Inna, she can slap you so hard you'll be aching for the whole day". Magnus laughed, but Bron didn't shift his gaze, "I'm serious man! It's true!". Magnus gave Bron a playful pat on the back and then headed for the shelter. Lorn shook his head, Bron looked confused, "What did I say?". Lorn just walked to the cave. Bron sighed and followed the pack into the cave.

Chapter 15: Wet Spell

Dogol and Karn were dripping wet, they kept towards the back of the pack to make sure they didn't get ambushed. Karn was shaking, to try and get the water off his body. Tulia recoiled slightly, "Hey Karn! You splashed me!". Karn looked a bit concerned, "Oh, um… sorry miss, didn't mean ter". Tulia smiled, "It's okay. Be sure to dry yourself off so that you don't get a cold or anything". Karn nodded, he was about to make a move, but Tulia said, "But don't shake again please, at least… not so close to me, okay?". Karn nodded, "Oh, alright then".

Eventually everyone was dry and Lorn was formulating a plan for food. Magnus raised his hand, a small orange glow was eminating from his hand. Suddenly he spotted something, "Hey guys, come look at this!". He moved his hand so that the hybrids could see more clearly. Dogol shifted uneasily, "That's a Scrab nest… that means they'll be back". Lorn frowned, "In that case we'll have to prepare a defensive plan. Everyone get ready for action".

A short while later, three Scrabs made their way into the nest. Thankfully the rain managed to hide the scent of the hybrids, so an ambush was easy.

They waited until the Scrabs were right inside the cave. Lorn made a clicking sound from his mouth. The Scrabs looked confused, but the hybrids knew this was the signal. Inna and Tulia both ran behind the Scrabs while they were distracted, kicking two of them and punching a third. They ran to the other side of the cave, leading the Scrabs over to where the rest of the team were.

One of the Scrabs tried to find the other hybrids, the other two chased the females. As one Scrab came across the corner, Karn raised a fist and smacked it hard in the head. He proceeded to beat it up with his fists, being too quick for the Scrab to react fast enough for a counter-attack. The other Scrab saw this and backed away. Lorn and Bron stepped out of the shadows, Bron grabbed the Scrab's body while Lorn kicked the Scrab's legs. The Scrab howled in pain and hit the floor. Bron continued to subdue it.

The other Scrab managed to find where Tulia and Inna were. The Scrab charged but Inna was ready and smacked it across the face. The Scrab hobbled back, and went after Tulia. She wasn't expecting this so she could only block half of the attack, the Scrab managed to scrape his beak against her back, leaving a thin open wound on her body. Inna ran up to the Scrab and kicked it in the face with her mechanical pants. The Scrab's head made a sickening crunch, falling to the ground. Inna walked over to Tulia, "You okay?". Tulia smiled, "Well, I'm not too bad… Let's go find the others". Tulia held a hand against her back, trying to keep the wound closed while they found the others.

Chapter 16: Rising Sun

Ulric nudged Silpher, "Hey man, wake up". Silpher was half-asleep, "Oh, you awake Ulric?". He was about to engage in some small-talk, but Ulric looked concerned, "What's up?". Ulric moved towards the entrance to the hut, looking outside, "There's something out there, might be Scrabs or something else". Silpher was fully awake now, "Come on, let's go and see what's out there".

Silpher and Ulric silently exited the hut, looking around nearby for any sign of an enemy. Silpher sniffed the air, his senses were overwhelmed. "Ulric, there's a lot of animals nearby... I can't pick out a clear scent". Ulric sniffed the air, "Yeah, I smell the same thing... but there is one smell quite close by... a... Scrab?". Suddenly howls could be heard from the West side of the camp. The howls woke up the rest of the hybrids. Lara, Riley, Bitsy and Hemm joined the group. Lara looked concerned, "Guys, don't tell me that sound was...", Silpher nodded, "Scrabs, at least one of them. Come on, we need to think of something quick".

A few minutes later, the hybrids were in the huts. Each hybrid was looking out of the gap in the material, waiting for the Scrab to appear. When the Scrab did appear, they waited until it got close enough to one of the tents. As the Scrab came closer to one of the tents, Lara leapt out and punched the Scrab hard on the face, she ran off to hide. The Scrab, suddenly aware that there were possible sources of food howled again, and tried to follow Lara. As the Scrab started running, Hemm and Riley jumped out from another hut and knocked the Scrab down with a double shoulder-barge. Hemm grabbed the Scrab's mouth while Riley kicked the Scrab hard in the chest. The Scrab gave up the struggle and lay limply on the floor. Suddenly a reply howl was heard nearby, as one more Scrab came towards them, Ulric and Silpher jumped out of their hut and attacked the Scrab. The Scrab managed to slash at Silpher's arm and cut into his skin. Ulric retaliated by kicking the Scrab full force, it fell down... appearing to have broken one of its ribs. Silpher walked up to the Scrab and finished it off.

Lara walked up to Silpher, "Are we... safe here?". Ulric nodded, "Well, we're more safe now that two Scrabs are out of action, but there does appear to be a larger number of animals in this area... we should consider moving tomorrow and finding a more quiet location". Bitsy walked up to Silpher, "Are you going to be alright with that wound?". Silpher nodded, "Can you put something on it?". Bitsy walked over to him, "Sure". She rubbed a cleaning liquid into his wound, and checked it. "Well, seems to only be a light cut, you should be okay". Silpher smiled, "That's good to know, thanks".

The next morning, they decided to move to a new location which was less crowded. Silpher's wound was healing quickly, by the time they reached their new place, it was almost back to normal. Ulric nodded, "Okay, it's getting close to lunchtime, let's stop here for now". Ulric, Lara and Hemm went to do some hunting. Silpher was helping Riley and Bitsy with putting up the huts and setting up a campfire. Once that was done, Silpher headed to hunt with the others.

Hemm was busy trying to get behind an Elum, while Ulric and Lara had picked out a Scrab on it's own. Silpher walked up to where Ulric was, raising a hand to let Ulric know he was there. Ulric nodded and ushered him forward. Suddenly the Scrab heard something, and ran in Hemm's direction. Ulric was shocked and yelled out, "Hemm, look out! Scrab!". Hemm had only just spotted the Scrab which was headed his way, he tried to move out of the way, but his arm was hit by the Scrab's torso. Hemm yelled and hit the floor. He kicked the Scrab away, as Silpher and Ulric came to help.

Chapter 17: Doubts

Ulric looked down at Hemm's arm, it looked as if it was injured internally… a black bruise developing over the skin. Silpher walked up to Hemm, bringing a small white cloth with him, "Come on, We'll put a bandage on it. We'll try and get some food on the way back". Hemm winced as he lay down on his side, he wasn't used to getting injured and he didn't like it at all.

Ulric walked up to him, handing him a chunk of meat. "As Alpha, it's my duty to make sure that everyone gets to eat their share. You're injured, so you can have some of mine". Hemm thanked him, "But Ulric, you need to eat as well. After all, if you are the Alpha you need to eat just as much as everyone else, if not more". Ulric smiled, "Don't worry about it, I'll get some more food later on". Silpher finished his meat and stood up, "Come on then, let's go back to the others".

Lara and Riley were talking to each other about the other hybrids. Lara sighed, "I'm starting to miss the guys already, especially Lorn". Riley nodded, "It's hard being away from the people you care about the most. I think that Bron's probably doing alright. Lorn will know what to do as well, he's pretty smart as far as hybrids go". Lara smiled, "You're right... Come on, let's go help Bitsy". Bitsy was busy making some medical herbs by mixing some of the local wild weeds and flowers. She was happy to see Riley and Lara. "Can you fetch me some more of this plant?", she held up a yellow flower, "It's a Custek, you should find it near the water". Lara nodded, "Okay, I'll go and get you some".

Silpher, Ulric and Hemm made their way back to the camp. Hemm was visibly struggling to walk. Bitsy looked up, "Hey Hemm are you alright?". Hemm looked at her, "Well I've been better... but I should be fine". Bitsy walked up to him and examined the wound on his arm. "Well at least you don't need a splint. Let me rub some cream onto it". Hemm lay down as Bitsy grabbed a bottle with some medical cream. Silpher looked at Riley, "Where's Lara?". Riley turned to look at Silpher, "She's out getting some plants near the river". Silpher crossed his arms, "We need to try and stick together more now, I think we've learned that walking around on your own is dangerous... I'll tell Lara when she gets back". Ulric nodded, "I'm tired... I'm going to go rest in my hut for a while. Wake me up when it's supper time and I'll go get us some more food". Ulric headed into his hut to rest. Lara came back and gave the flowers to Bitsy, before going to talk to Riley.

Bitsy walked towards Silpher, "Ulric seems tired today". Silpher nodded, "He's pushing himself quite hard to make sure he's being a good leader to us... but sometimes I think he tries to hard". Silpher shifted his feet uneasily, "I'm starting to think our group is a bit worse off compared to the other group. They've got Karn, Lorn, the two top females and one extra member. Still, I guess this means we can work together in a more cohesive unit". Bitsy nodded, "Oh well, Lorn has some good ideas sometimes... I guess he could be right about this as well". Silpher sighed, "Come on, I'll help you make the medicine". She smiled and nodded, they walked towards the campfire.

An hour later, Silpher and Bitsy had finished making the medical supplies. Bitsy was counting, "Let's see that'll be about twenty rations, I think that'll last us a while". Silpher nodded, "I'll go see if Ulric is feeling better". As Silpher put his head in the door of the hut, he could hear Ulric's light snoring. "Hmmm, guess he's still resting. I'll go hunting with Lara". Silpher walked up to Lara, "Want to go hunting?". Lara nodded, "I've been bored stiff here, let's go".

Chapter 18: Hunting Problems

Silpher and Lara went to find some food. They spotted some Paramites nearby. There were only around four or five of them. They each walked silently up to some Paramites and then attacked. Two of the paramites fell to the ground, the others hissed and ran forward but Silpher and Lara kicked them, and they remained on the ground. "Come on, let's take these back to camp". Silpher and Lara each dragged two Paramites, one young Paramite stood there, shivering and looking at Silpher. Silpher looked back at the young Paramite, "Sorry kiddo, but that's life". He walked back to camp, a cold feeling in his heart.

Meanwhile, the other pack were having problems. Lorn and Karn had been looking for some food, but they had problems trying to catch their prey. The Paramites were too close to the main nest for them to make a successful attack. They walked a bit further. Karn spotted some Elums, "Over there! Elums!". Lorn looked towards where Karn had pointed. "Ah, no good... Look at the landscape around the Elums... it's way too flat and bare for any ambush attack". Karn shrugged, "You're right, so what now?". Lorn sighed, "We need to go back to camp and think of something else".

Bron and Dogol were surprised to see Lorn and Karn empty-handed. Bron looked at Lorn, "Is everything alright?". Lorn nodded, "We're fine, but hunting is going to be a problem in this area. There aren't any small packs we can pick on... We'll have to come up with another plan to get food". The group remained quiet for a while, Tulia raised her hand. "Perhaps I can gather some fruit from nearby, just in case we can't get any meat?". Lorn nodded, "That's a good idea... You'd better take Dogol with you in case something were to happen".

As Tulia and Dogol walked away, the rest of the group were still trying to come up with a plan. Bron walked forward, "Can we not spread out and find alternative food sources?". Magnus agreed, "We need to find some other food sources, let's split up in pairs and look for some".

Lorn and Bron walked along the river, trying to find some animals nearby which were drinking the water. They walked for a few minutes, but couldn't see any animals at all. Lorn shook his head, "Something's wrong, why are there no animals anywhere nearby?". Bron shrugged, "Come on, let's go back to camp".

Magnus and Inna were looking in some dense woodlands, trying to see any animals nearby. They managed to find another Paramite nest, but this one was still quite densely populated. Magnus looked towards Inna, "What if I set fire to a few of them? To confuse them a bit?". Inna nodded, "That might work, come on let's try it". Magnus held out his arm in front of him, unleashing a ball of fire towards the Paramite nest. The Paramites began hissing and running around, trying to get away from the nest as it started to burn. Inna looked towards Magnus, "Alright, let's go". Inna managed to knock one of the Paramites to the ground. Magnus found two other Paramites and used his fire to subdue them. Inna kicked another Paramite, she dragged the two bodies over to Magnus. "Okay, let's go back to camp with this". Magnus nodded and headed back to camp.

Karn was keeping a lookout around the camp. He spotted a bee-hive a few minutes walk away from the camp. He walked up to the hive and wondered, "What would Lorn do now?". He looked around for something to use, he saw a large rock nearby. He threw the rock at the hive. Knowing that the bees would begin swarming, he ran towards the river and dived in. The bees went around the surrounding area to try and find what attacked their hive, but they couldn't go into the water. Eventually they flew away into the distance to find a new nest. Karn went out of the water, and went to the hive. He had managed to hit part of the hive, but there was another section which was relatively intact. He picked up the honey and headed back to camp.

The hybrids were reunited. Tulia and Dogol came back to camp with a lot of berries and a few wild plants. Karn placed the honey he found on the wooden table. Magnus and Inna placed the meat onto the table as well. Lorn smiled, "We have hunted successfully despite the harsh conditions nearby, I think we've done a good job today". The hybrids nodded and began eating their food. Bron had a concerned look on his face, "I still don't get why there were no animals near the water... anyone have any ideas?". They all shook their heads, Lorn looked at Bron, "Maybe the animals could sense this storm coming? Anyway, let's eat this and recover our strength".

Chapter 19: Stormy Skies

Riley and Bitsy were getting nervous. They didn't like the weather when it was stormy, Hemm stood up, "Come on, it's only a bit of rain. Let's not get too worried here". Hemm walked up to Riley and put a hand on her shoulder, Riley nudged her head against his hand, in a manner of appreciation. Bitsy was getting annoyed, "We're not going to be able to hunt properly when the weather is like this".

Lara and Silpher were talking, Lara sighed, "Lorn would help a lot if he was here... but he isn't so we have to think of a plan". Silpher nodded, "Let's try and think of something useful". Ulric walked up to them, "What about those Paramites to the East?". Silpher shrugged, "Oh well, guess we'll have to hunt something today... Coming Lara?". Lara nodded, "Alright, let's go then".

The ground was slippery but thankfully everyone managed to keep their footing. Silpher's left leg slipped into a puddle, but he pulled it out quickly. "We need to hurry before the rain gets worse". They found some Paramites grazing, Lara walked up to one of them and kicked it in the head. Silpher and Ulric ran towards the other two Paramites. Silpher grabbed one and threw it against a tree, Ulric threw it down at the ground. The Paramites hissed, but were quickly finished off by the hybrids. The Paramites were not very large, but at the moment this was all they could find. They headed back to their camp to share the food.

Silpher looked at the sky, "I hope you're alright, Tulia". He sighed and continued walking. Ulric was missing Inna as well, although she got on his nerves sometimes, she was there for him when he needed her the most. Riley and Bitsy were talking to each other and making jokes. Bitsy was laughing heavily. Riley continued her joke, "So, a Glukkon, a Slig and a Mudokon walk into a bar...".

Hemm noticed the other hybrids coming back. "Oh hey, Silpher, you got some food?". Silpher nodded, "Here". He chucked a large piece of meat towards Hemm, Hemm wobbled slightly as he caught the massive lump of meat. "Nice!". After the hybrids were finished eating, they started talking about how long they had before they had to meet up with the other hybrids. "It's been a few days now, only a few more left to go".

As the hybrids woke up next morning, they noticed a slight problem. There were now several new rivers which had been created by the storm last night. Now they would have to rely on more senses in order to find the other hybrids. Silpher and Ulric could pick up the other team's scent, so they lead their group that way.

Lorn's group had gotten soaked during the night, their huts weren't build to stand that amount of rainfall. After everyone dried off, they started heading back the way they came, but they ended up having the same problem that Silpher's group had. Lorn sighed, "We'll have to track their scent and look for signs". Lorn looked at the sky and sniffed, "This way". He lead the group towards the fresh scent.

Chapter 20: Reunion

Bron was talking to Inna and Tulia, he found that he could talk to the females a bit more readily than the males. His shyness was still apparent though, because whenever he was asked a question, he would blush heavily and shrug. Karn and Dogol were getting on quite well. Dogol who was bad at fighting learned a couple of useful tips from Karn. In exchange, Dogol helped Karn learn about talking to the female hybrids more easily. Lorn and Magnus were fairly quiet when they talked, they often talked about Magnus' fire ability and how it could be used in an effective way. Lorn was still confused as to why Magnus suddenly discovered this hidden talent. Magnus was just as confused as everyone else, stating that he didn't know he had the power in the first place.

Ulric and Silpher stuck together like brothers. They were both strong so their personalities definately matched each other well. Silpher would often take the first step, wheras Ulric would often think before he acted. Ulric came up with quite a few ideas with regards to hunting and leadership decisions. Silpher's sense of smell and overall skill made him a valuable asset to the team. Riley and Bitsy stuck with each other a lot, talking to each other and making jokes. They would talk about the male hybrids quite a bit. Hemm talked to the girls a bit, but he kept to himself a lot of the time. He was often a bit too cocky for his own good, making bold statements he had no possibility of backing up.

Silpher smiled, "Tulia... I'll see you again soon". He was walking around and sniffing the ground eagerly. He caught Lorn's scent, "This way!". He yelled towards the other hybrids. It wasn't long before Lorn saw evidence that Silpher had been past this area, he could see a couple of hut pegs and the telltale signs that a camp was set up the night before.

Lorn and Silpher both walked over a hill at the same time and spotted each other. They waved to each other and came closer. It wasn't long before the whole group was reunited once more. Lorn smiled and crossed his arms, "I see your team has performed brilliantly!". Silpher shrugged, "Not as well as we hoped, that storm made things difficult". Lorn chuckled, "Oh well, you can tell me all about it on the way back to camp".

Tulia ran up to Silpher, "I missed you a lot!". She hugged him and put her snout against his chest. Silpher was taken aback, "Whoa, It's nice to see you back as well!". The rest of the female hybrids walked up to their respective male counterparts and started talking. Lorn smiled, "Back to normal, eh? Come on, I want to hear what you've been up to these past few days!". Ulric chuckled, "Fine, Where to begin...".

Silpher was smiling, he was back with Tulia and Lorn, his favorite two hybrids on Oddworld. He lay his back on the damp grass, gave a stretch and a yawn, lying down to hear what Ulric and Lorn had to say. He closed on eye and lazily lay down with his arms folded. Not bad, he thought to himself, I should do this more often.

Ending

After only two weeks of living life in the wild, the hybrids had learned many lessons. Companionship, Inner Strength, Leadership, Social Skills and Independence. They hoped that there would be a time of peace and harmony with nature.


End file.
